Belinda Sharpe and Kasey Badger will become the first women to referee under the NRL’s single referee system this weekend.
The final round of the NRL regular season will see the duo control matches, the league announced on Tuesday morning, having racked up a tonne of touch judge and bunker experience in recent years.
Sharpe became the first woman to referee an NRL match in 2019, although that was as part of the two-official system that was scrapped in 2020.
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She boasts eight NRL matches as part of the two-referee system to go with 195 as touch judge, while Badger has 161 matches as touch judge and 43 as the bunker review official.
Sharpe will be in charge of Manly’s clash with Wests Tigers in Brookvale on Friday and Badger will referee the Gold Coast hosting Canterbury on Sunday.
The duo have been hailed as pioneers for future generations of women coming through the officiating ranks, NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo congratulating them on their match appointments.
“Kasey and Belinda are professionals and have shown dedication and discipline in their development,” he said.
“This is an historic moment for them and for the game.”
Referees boss Jared Maxwell said their development had already driven improvement on officiating pathways for other women.
“Their progression is a direct result of the strong pathways that we have, but what is also clear is the impact both Belinda and Kasey have had on the pathways themselves as they have progressed,” he said.
“The influence of Kasey and Belinda has inspired young girls to take up refereeing. Many more will be inspired again when they see them refereeing this weekend.”
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